In an effort to get more cellular users off its legacy 2G and 3G infrastructure, Vodacom South Africa has introduced a 4G “smartphone” that costs just R249.
The Mobicel-branded phone, which Vodacom has described as a “cloud-based handset”, is being introduced to “reduce the cost of smartphone access in the country” and to migrate more of the operator’s customers to 4G.
Until now, the cheapest 4G-capable smartphones in South Africa have cost at least twice that for the most basic models.
Vodacom’s new cloud-based phone, the Mobicel S4 Cloud Phone, comes standard with popular applications such as YouTube, TikTok and Facebook, all accessed via the cloud, giving users a “smartphone lite” experience, the operator said on Tuesday. The phone does not appear to support WhatsApp, however, which could be a deal breaker for many consumers. The phone has just 48MB of RAM and 128MB of storage with a 2.8-inch screen and a 1 000mAh battery.
“The cloud phone will help customers still anchored to 2G phones and not familiar with the touch-screen experience, allowing them to appreciate a smooth transition to the data and application world,” said Davide Tacchino, managing executive for terminals at Vodacom South Africa.
“Through greater collaboration between governments, mobile operators and everyone across the value chain, we believe we can make strides to work together to lower 4G-enabled smartphones prices,” he said.
Access
“Over the last decade, Vodacom has remained committed to bringing the cost of devices down through many initiatives launched in partnership with Vodafone. This included the launch of Vodacom-branded device units, driving smartphone penetration in a number of Vodacom markets, including South Africa.”
South Africa’s mobile operators are under pressure to migrate legacy 2G and 3G users to more modern technology so the spectrum can be freed up for more advanced technologies, including 4G and 5G.
Vodacom cited a 2022 Vodafone-funded report by the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development in 2022, which argued that lowering the cost of devices is key to increasing access to smartphones.
Read: 2G and 3G shutdown in SA a big headache for merchants
“The Alliance for Affordable Internet estimates that a smartphone priced at R1 094.24 (US$62/ €56) could cost almost 63% of the average monthly income across Africa. The Broadband Commission’s report recommended that so-called thin-client phones – like the new cloud-based phone which Vodacom has delivered – should be explored. The new cloud-based phone leverages the power of cloud computing to deliver a range of features typically associated with entry smartphones at a more affordable cost.” — © 2024 NewsCentral Media
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